Of Balverines and Broken Hearts
by SquishyCool
Summary: Post-Fable 2, female Sparrow: After the defeat of Lucien, the fall of the Spire, and the death of her dog, Sparrow feels alone and useless. But when someone new - an unknown Hero - comes into her life, he just may be her saving grace. Sparrow/OMC
1. Balverines Eat Broken Hearts

**Of Balverines and Broken Hearts  
Chapter 1**

As I lay there, motionless, my breath coming in short gasps, I slowly lifted my eyelids. The blue sky hung above me, taunting me with what it held that I couldn't reach, what it had taken from me. I knew this wasn't normal for me, but for some reason, I couldn't get the motivation to pick myself up out of that water and stand up again; I couldn't get the motivation to find wherever my Daichi had fallen and lift its heavy weight again to slice that balverine's head off. I just… couldn't.

I felt the cool water seeping through my clothes. It was the same water I'd sailed on so many times, the same water that surrounded that damned Spire, and probably the same water I'd trudged through time and time again in that wretched hellhole of a place called Wraithmarsh. I tried to avoid water, if I could, because it only reminded me of the depressing darkness in Rookridge, the rain that constantly fell, and, of course, my first love.

Why was I thinking about all of this _now_? I couldn't answer that with a good explanation. All I knew was that I felt no motivation, and I only wished for this balverine to finish me off. Sure, it was pretty pathetic for me, the Hero who had defeated Lucien and countless other predators, to let a puny balverine slash me to shreds. But what did I have to get up for? Nothing. The one person I loved had left me, I'd lost the only other creature that felt love for me – my beloved dog, Fate – and I felt completely useless now. I'd defeated Lucien and all of the other current threats in Albion… There was nothing left for me to do here. These people didn't need me. I'd saved them from everything they were oblivious to.

Maybe it was time for me to be with Rose again… Maybe I'd wake up in a cozy little home again as the carefree child I once was, and she'd be there to play games with me and run through that field of flowers, and we could play with Fate together and remember all of the fun we'd had, no matter how hard the times may have been. Maybe this time I wouldn't wake up from it again to Theresa's voice echoing in my head. Maybe it was time for me to go on to something better. Maybe death _was_ my destiny today.

What else did I have here besides a bunch of property and gold? The homes I owned for my own personal use were empty, save for the furniture that only collected dust. I spent most of my time sitting alone in Brightwood Tower, or on the docks of Bloodstone, staring out at the shadow of the Tattered Spire, or at that Cullis Gate, sitting next to the last resting place of my most beloved and most loyal friend.

A sickening, threatening growl brought me out of my thoughts, sending shivers up my spine. But still, I didn't move. I let my eyelids fall again, and I took a few deep breaths. My arms lay out at my sides. I curled my exposed fingers, the wet gloves already sticking to my hands. It brought back the memory of that night, lying on that cobblestone path, when an old, blind woman stood above me, and a lonely but loyal dog licked at my hand, being one of the only beings alive that still had faith in me… He'd always had faith in me, no matter how many times I'd neglected to protect him properly and he'd been bludgeoned by a stray club thrown from a hobbe's hand, or slashed by a bandit's cruel sword; he still followed me and lead me and remained at my side.

I missed that creature far too much.

But now, as the presence of the balverine suddenly lifted, I only lay still, waiting for my impending doom. I heard the leaves on the tree nearby rustle as the balverine's weight rested on one of its branches, then lifted again as it leapt down. A stealthy and light _thud_ next to my head told me the creature was now standing over me, waiting for my next move. I'd already swiped it numerous times with my sword, and I felt warm blood drip from its fresh wounds onto my face and roll down the curve of my cheek. Another low growl, the sound of saliva pooling in its throat. Its breathing alone almost made me sick.

I finally opened my eyes to acknowledge the dark-furred face of my killer. It scowled down at me, its eyes full of nothing but hunger and evil. Its paws rested in front of it, claws sharp and blood-stained. It breathed heavily, ready to attack and feed at any moment. It raised a threatening paw, about to swipe down onto my body and take me for its own.

Then, it was as if everything around me slowed down: I hadn't even noticed this figure emerge from the woods, but now he was here, and he stepped forward in a swift stride, his boots splashing in the shallow water that didn't even reach his ankles. He brought his other leg up and gave the balverine a rough kick to the chest, knocking the air from its lungs. It stumbled back, but quickly regained its composure (something I'd always hated about balverines) and prepared to attack this sword-bearing man. However, the man gave another half-step forward, then swung the shining blade of his sword towards the balverine. I saw his gloved hand gripping the handle, and his arm direct it to the perfect angles. Then, with one swift slice, it disconnected skin and fur and muscle, and the furry head flew from the body, landing in the deeper water a few yards away. The body then fell, splashing and succumbing to the depths of the water that swallowed it. And just like that, the creature was finished.

I could've done that.

My eyes were wide by this time, without me even knowing it, and I was staring up at this unknown man with fear and amazement. I was actually frozen now, unable to move from where I lay. Was this a bandit readying to loot me? Or something else?

With a pleased look upon his face, the man turned back towards me, then looked down. His eyebrows furrowed together with confusion and his face quickly turned to questioning as he looked me up and down, taking in the way I was lying in the shallow water of the shore, not moving, but watching his every move, the glowing Will Lines carving a lifetime's worth of experience over every part of my body. He saw the large, silver, glittering gun that lay beneath me, still strapped to my back, then noticed the glint from the sword that had abandoned my hand and now lay, half-way in the sand and half-way in the water, not far from my body.

I couldn't help but notice his astonishing features: his chiseled cheekbones, and his perfect, white teeth. His eyes glowed a spectacular green, and his hair was thick but cut short, an odd, natural mixture of blond and brown, and fell down across part of his forehead. His body was muscular and toned, and his back was equipped, like mine, with weapons: a crossbow and arrows, and a holster where his sword would be. A pistol rested on the belt at his waist. He stood a good half-foot taller than me, I could tell, and the way his legs and arms were toned and shaped, it looked as if he did this sort of thing everyday. He also had 4 long, white scars across the right half of his face, running across part of his nose, forehead, cheek, and eye. They only seemed to add to his appearance, though.

What stood out to me the most, however, was not his gift of appearance, nor his obvious strength… but the glowing, azure Will Lines that were etched all over his body. Most of his body was covered by trousers and high, thick boots, as well as a thick shirt and a longer coat over that, his hands adorned with thick, tight, crimson-colored gloves. His neck and face, though, showed bright, glowing Lines that lead down under his shirt, and I knew they didn't stop there. One of his coat sleeves had rolled up just slightly, and a bit of the skin of his arm was exposed, showing more of the azure Lines.

Was this another Hero? And if so, which one? Was he another Hero of Will, or Strength? Why hadn't this man been a part of my journey? Why hadn't he joined the ranks of Hammer, Garth, Reaver, and I? Why hadn't he helped me defeat Lucien and the trolls and the banshees?

I had so many questions for this man whose name I didn't even know.

Suddenly, there was a splashing near my body as something else padded into the water, then a warm tongue was licking my face, as if concerned. I looked out the corner of my eye and saw golden brown fur – a dog! And it looked nearly similar to my dear, departed Fate!

My eyes turned back to the man just as he opened his perfect mouth and spoke. "Are you alright? Do you need help up?"

His firm voice startled me. I wasn't used to another strong voice, not since I'd left the Spire. All of the villagers and bandits I'd encountered since then had weak voices that couldn't compare to that of a man with true power inside of him, like Garth or Reaver, or even Lucien. However, not only did he have this firm voice, but it was also smooth and beautifully accented, and seemed to make everything he said sound like the just the right thing.

I somehow found the ability to move again and I shook my head, feeling the weight of the water in my long, dyed-blue hair. Slowly, I lifted myself up on my elbows, feeling the water drop from my back and my hair. The dog stepped back, panting and wagging its tail happily.

"Fortune! Come!" the man ordered, and the dog quickly obeyed, rushing to its master's side and standing beside him proudly, still wagging its tail in elation.

I blinked, trying to regain my strength, then slowly stood up. Some water pooled into the bottom of my boots, and my clothes were mostly soaked, but other than that, I felt completely fine. I'd barely avoided a few swipes and scratches from the balverine's sharp claws.

Once I'd managed to stand up and regain enough energy and balance, I turned and faced the man, a look of confusion on my Will-marked face. I finally stammered out, "Wh-who are you?"

He smiled charmingly at me, his eyes sparkling. "I'm Brom, and this is Fortune," he gestured down at the dog standing faithfully at his side. "And you are?"

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts and millions of questions. "I'm Sparrow."

I missed the presence of the dog I would be introducing at this point, but still silently added in my head, _And this is my only friend, Fate._

Brom's eyes suddenly lit up, and his smile turned into an O of surprise. "Sparrow? The Hero?"

I nodded reluctantly, used to this by now, but still not liking it. I took this opportunity to ask my burning question, "A-are you a Hero, too?"

His face fell slightly, and his mouth cocked to an odd angle of confusion. "Well," he started hesitantly, obviously unsure of how to answer. "I suppose I am, or at least I've been told that I am, but I've never gone through the training, and I don't come from a Hero bloodline… And I've surely never been to the Guild or the Chamber of Fate… Unlike you."

I was silent to this, having come to dislike being reminded of my past and my bloodline. This man highly sparked my interest, though, and I had to know more; I had to find out as much as possible about him. Maybe I wasn't as alone as I thought.

"Would you like to come back to my farm? I've got a little cottage there," I invited him, referring to my home behind the Demon Door, Serenity Farm. "I'd like to find out more about you… and your friend here."

He looked at me oddly for a second, but his face soon took on a happily surprised look. "Sure! Thank you. Fortune and I would love that. Where is it?"

I smiled, bending down and picking up the sparkling Daichi that lay not far from my feet. "Follow me."

**to be continued…**

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A/N: **This is my first Fable fic. As I said in the summary, it's post-Fable II, and the female Sparrow. From the circumstances given, she obviously chose the Sacrifice wish, so she doesn't have her dog back. Anyway, there will be more chapters soon, so please review and tell me what you think! It will give me encouragement to go on! =]


	2. Knothole Island Needs Help

**Of Balverines and Broken Hearts  
Chapter 2**

We took the safer route to my farm – not that we really needed to, considering we were both Heroes and obviously knew how to handle ourselves – but because I didn't want any distractions on this quiet walk we were taking. I didn't want to have to ask myself again, "Should I defend myself, or let it all go?"

As we walked, it reminded me of all of the times Fate and I had walked and walked, for what seemed like endless amounts of days. But we'd made the best of it; we enjoyed the scenery of Albion and the peace and quiet, and we enjoyed digging for buried items and killing giant beetles.

I missed that creature far too much.

I watched Fortune with close eyes. He was a lot like Fate: they both had that soft, golden fur, and that spark in their eyes that made them an adventurer's dog. I had always hated to see Fate in any kind of pain, and despite my gut instinct to do otherwise, I'd always put his well-being before mine. If a hobbe would happen to clobber Fate's leg, I would kill that hobbe with one fell swoop of my sword, then I would give Fate a dog elixir before even bothering with the other opponents that were coming up on me, ready to devour my very inner organs.

That dog was my only friend, and my entire life. Lucien took _everything_ from me.

"So tell me…"

Brom's deep voice suddenly speaking up startled me, and I looked to him expectantly.

He turned his head to look at me, a smile on his smooth lips. "What was a Hero like you doing… letting a pathetic, bloody _balverine_ finish you off?"

I sighed. I expected this to come about eventually. "It's a bit of a long story… one I'd rather not go into at this moment."

He nodded in understanding, watching Fortune run off ahead and dig at a bush. I could sense he knew everything about me – my history, my family, where I was from, and what I'd done. All of Albion knew all of that. I was pretty sure there were books on me and my bloodline as well.

Even _I_ didn't know the true extent of my bloodline, and I wasn't about to find out from some ridiculous book.

The sun was beginning to reach the horizon when the Demon Door opening to Serenity Farm came into view.

"There it is," I told Brom, pointing to it. It wasn't much farther now.

We passed through the field and made it to the large hunk of rock in the side of the hill where the Demon Door had once been. Rounding the curve, we then stood before it.

"Hm… was this a Demon Door?" Brom inquired, inspecting it.

I nodded. "Come on inside."

I lead Brom and Fortune through the swirling portal and into a shockingly bright farm. I was used to the sunlight by now, but Brom shielded his eyes, surprised by the intense light. Fortune gave a bark of glee and ran off to investigate. I turned to Brom and smiled.

"Home sweet home," I told him simply, then began up the trail to the single cottage sitting beside the fenced-in chicken coop, crossing the tiny, stone bridge that went over the small creek of fresh, spring water. I opened the door to my cottage and stepped inside, then let Brom inside, leaving the door open as it was always nice outside.

The cottage somehow always managed to smell of something sweet – whether it be an apple pie baking or the smell of flowers or even clean linens. It never once acquired that lonely smell of dust and rotting wood like so many of my other homes did. And whenever I had to go to Wraithmarsh, I usually returned here first, because it seemed to be the only cure to the putrid smell of marshes and swamps that would inhabit my nostrils for days on end after one of those journeys.

"This is… marvelous," Brom admired, looking around my cottage. I had a few of my trophies hung up around the walls and on shelves – this was the only home I trusted to leave them in, the only one that was guaranteed not to be ransacked by some group of bandits or hobbes.

"Thank you," I said softly, walking over to my small stove. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please," he quickly replied, venturing into the other room to inspect the trophies I'd hung – including Thag's head, Dash's goggles, and the golden oak leaf.

I prepared a pot of tea and set it on the stove to boil, getting out 2 teacups and setting them on the old, worn table in the middle of the kitchen. I could hear Fortune outside, barking at the chickens and rustling around in the grass and bushes. My heart ached for the presence of my own dog.

"You really loved your dog, didn't you?"

I was started by Brom's sudden words from the other room, and how they seemed to coincide with what I had just been thinking about. But I answered as I watched the water for the tea boil, "Yes… dearly."

"This is a lovely photograph," he commented. I looked over to where he was and saw he was inspecting the 2 photographs I had hung up on the wall in the living room – Barnum had taken both of them for me, the first being of my sister, Rose, and I, and it was the first photograph he'd ever taken; the second was of Fate and I just before I'd gone to find Reaver, who had, of course, killed Barnum.

I smiled at the memory of how much fun that day had been with Fate. It had been a day off from hunting Lucien and any other evil creature in Albion.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, but it was suddenly broken by the high-pitched scream of the teapot, signaling the water was ready. I quickly grabbed it and stopped the screaming, then brought it to the table and poured it into the 2 prepared teacups, the boiling water quickly turning a ginger color from the tea leaves inside the cup.

Brom wandered over, taking a seat at the table and taking his teacup. As he blew on it and waited for it to cool, he glanced outside to check on Fortune, who was still chasing chickens around, nipping at their backsides playfully.

I sat down in the chair opposite the taller, muscular man. I occasionally peeked over at him, still admiring his charisma and good looks. I still almost couldn't believe he existed. Another Hero… yet _not_ a Hero… How was it possible for him to be a Hero when he didn't come from a bloodline?

"I… wasn't going to bring this up or say anything," he spoke up out of nowhere, seeming nervous now.

I looked up at him in surprise, waiting for him to go on. "Please… do."

He sighed, looking up at me from his teacup, which he'd begun sipping. "There's a quest… on Knothole Island. I-I think you may be interested."

I furrowed my brow for a moment, hesitantly sipping from my teacup. It burned my tongue, but that didn't faze me. I finally answered with, "Why do you think that?"

He gave a sheepish smile, looking back down at his large, burlesque hands that cupped the tea nervously. "There's… a mage there… One that may be able to help you. I only heard about him just recently; I was asked ages ago to go to Knothole Island by a man with a submarine, named Gordon. He said he was looking for a Hero to help the people of Knothole Island. He said winter has gripped their land and the only way to save the island is to retrieve some sort of totem and… oh, it all sounded complicated, and I turned him down because I've never actually been on a quest for civilians. I've only ever worked for guards for a little gold here and there – you know, hunting balverines or exterminating hobbes or saving the docks from pirates or bandits."

I nodded in understanding, very familiar with those small side-jobs. I'd done them a million times before, mostly to fill my time and try to get my mind off of the uselessness I often felt since defeating Lucien.

"And how would this mage be able to help me?" I asked, my curiosity peaked now.

He didn't answer for a short while. I waited patiently, about to repeat my question, but then he answered. "He can bring your dog back."

I froze, almost dropping my teacup from my hands. My eyes darted up to meet Brom's, whose were wide with concern and questions. My gaze shot to the door, where I looked out to see Fortune running around in happiness, the sunlight shimmering on his golden coat.

I could have my _best friend_ back? My _only_ friend?

"Is this Gordon still available and looking for a Hero to help him?" I asked almost too eagerly.

"Yes, I believe so. The last time I heard, he was still perched at the docks in Bowerstone Market, asking around all day, every day for a Hero to help him," Brom explained, sounding a little relieved now.

"Can you take me to him?"

"Of course."

**to be continued…**

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A/N: **I'd like to thank the geniuses who came out with the Knothole Island expansion pack (which I just downloaded last night and started playing), because it gave me inspiration for this story. I had no idea where to take this story, but then I heard about Knothole Island and the mage and I thought it'd be an interesting plot twist and it'd give me somewhere to go for at least another few chapters. So I hope you're enjoying it so far. I'll try to update again as soon as possible. (I've already beat the first quest on Knothole Island... has anyone beat the whole thing? PM me if you have, please.)


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